Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead

Who: VN Publisher Joseph Connelly
What: Dr. Fuhrman Health Getaway 2010
Where: Rancho Bernado Inn, San Diego, Calif.
When: Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Why: Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead: Morgan Spurlock meets Borat

The Scoop: Day three starts with a sweet surprise. One of my favorite people anywhere, Dr. Michael Klaper—the original vegan doctor and VN's medical advisor since 2000—makes an unannounced (at least to me) visit. Michael (as he's known to all... no one calls him "Klaper") works with Dr. Joel Fuhrman, assisting and advising his patients. He's also employed at the TrueNorth Health Center not too terribly far from VegNews' San Francisco home base. Still, we only seem to see each other at conferences such as this.

Dr. Michael Klaper with VN's Joseph Connelly

A joyous beginning to what turned into a glorious day, the middle of which was filled with the usual exercise, educating, and eating. Much like the North American Vegetarian Society's Summerfest, meals here come far too often. Thankfully the all-one-can-eat buffets are overflowing with good grub. Still, it's a lot of food, and learning to pace oneself is both art and science.

I could have predicted that today would be special as it marks the 26th birthday of my beloved first cat, Dog, without whom there would be no VegNews. Dog was the final piece in my vegan puzzle, turning me veg 20 years ago. She is no longer with us, but I still think of her on her birthday each year. And every other day of the year, too.

The wise and wonderful Dog, on her 20th birthday in 2004

Tuesday ended with two final highlights. I ate dinner with a family I first met on the Taste of Health Cruise last March, sisters Dvora Adams and Dalia Sager, and Dalia's hubby Jon, a sergeant with the Las Vegas PD. Both sisters have gone vegan since I saw them last. Jon, meanwhile, has given up both meat and dairy and dropped 40 pounds in just a few short months by adhering to Dr. Fuhrman's nutritarian diet.

After dinner the 200+ (all of whom received a copy of the 10th anniversary edition of VN) were treated to an advanced screening of Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, a documentary slated for February 2011 release. Think Morgan Spurlock meets Borat. The producer and subject of the film, Joe Cross, is a successful 41-year-old Australian businessman weighing in at 309 pounds and suffering from urticaria, a debilitating autoimmune disease. He comes to America, juice fasts for 60 days while traveling around the States talking to other people and filming the extraordinary adventure. Along the way he influences others, most notably Phil Staples, a 430-pound Iowa truck driver "one cheeseburger away from a heart attack" draped in a 6XL-sized t-shirt. Staples can hardly move; the steering wheel of his big rig literally touches his gargantuan gut. "It hurts to walk very far," he confesses. Fat... is entertaining, funny, and heartwarming. Even the very predictable last scene will move you. Everyone should see this film.

Thin, healthy, and very much alive: Jon Horschmann, Dalia Sager, Joe Cross, Dvora Adams

Producer Joe Cross led the screening. Gregarious, knowledgeable, and an excellent speaker, he's a man on a mission. "Healthy, healthy, healthy" is his main goal. If you live in Northern California, you will have a chance to meet Cross and see Fat... on Tuesday, July 20 at a special screening at the Kabuki Theatre. VegNews will be there.

Sunny (Finally!) Summerfest

Who: VN Editorial Director Aurelia d’Andrea and VN Distribution Manager Katie Donaldson
What: Vegetarian Summerfest 2008, the 34^th annual conference of the North American Vegetarian Society
Where: University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Penn.
When: June 18–22, 2008
Why: To connect with the movers, shakers, and everyday people within the greater vegetarian community

The Scoop: This journey to the rolling hills of western Pennsylvania began before dawn last Tuesday, when Aurelia and Katie arose at 4am from their beds in San Francisco and Boulder, respectively, caught their shuttles to the airport, and began a long day of travel to get to this verdant college campus for five days of lectures, socializing, eating, and, yes, working. After setting up the VN booth, we retired to our dorm-room accommodations so we’d be chipper and charged for the next day’s activities, and were lulled to sleep by the sound of rain falling outside our window.

Mornings at this summer camp for vegetarians began with optional 6am yoga classes, which the two of us bypassed in favor of a few extra Zs. At 7am we were out the door and off to our booth over in the student union, where we awaited the throngs of campers on their way to breakfast in the upstairs dining room. While folks ate, Katie and Aurelia traded-off staffing duties while the other stuffed her gullet with the likes of pancakes, fried potatoes, fresh fruit, and oatmeal. There was even a salad bar for those who think Goddess Dressing is an appropriate condiment with which to start the day.

After eating, we waited for the reinvigorated throngs to pour downstairs and visit our booth. In addition to taking subscription orders and chatting up friends old and new, we did our best to generate buzz about our vegan cookie basket raffle prize, and encouraged folks to enter the drawing for Sun Flour Baking Company bonanza.

When the crowds cleared and the student union turned quiet, we knew it was time to head to one of the many lectures taking place on campus. Between the two of us, we attended seminars led by such veg luminaries as Harold Brown, Gene Baur, Rae Sikora, VN columnist Will Tuttle, and James LaVeck. Other notable speakers included Howard Lyman, T. Colin Campbell, Pamela Rice, Milton Mills, and the fabulous Fran Costigan.

Probably the most exciting part of this event was getting to put faces to the names of fellow veggies whom we’ve only ever corresponded with by phone or email. Linda Long, whose first book, Great Chefs Cook Vegan, will be released in early September, is as lovely as can be, as is JoAnn Farb, who just released her book, Get Off Gluten. Michael Greger, MD—one of our featured 25 Most Fascinating Vegetarians from Issue 56—is much, much funnier than you’d expect any doctor to be, and VN columnist Robin Robertson is a bundle of warmth and conviviality. And we can't forget Friends of Animals' Dustin Rhodes, who kept us laughing and entertained with cute photos of his dogs Lulu and Delilah. We also made a friend in Yvonne Smith, aka The Traveling Vegetarian. A sort of vegan Rachael Ray, we expect her to be the Next Big Thing in the glamourous world of television cooking.

Vegan Rules! Jill Nussinow, Cathi DiCocco, Fran Costigan, and Aurelia d'Andrea

The only downside to Summerfest 2008 was the weather; it rained every single day, sometimes accompanied by thunder and lightning. On Sunday, however, as we packed up and headed for the airport, the sun erupted from a sea of clouds and shined on us the whole way back to Pittsburgh. Both Katie and Aurelia look forward to a very sunny, non-rainy Summerfest 2009.